West Mercia Police

Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to increase the numbers of police officers in West Mercia by the number needed for it to reach the average of the 35 English and Welsh forces. [33733]

Mr. Denham:
I understand that, subject to available funding being raised through the council tax, the authority has plans to increase the force's budgeted strength by 300 officers over the next three years to a total of 2,424. Based on current population estimates, this would take the force to a ratio of 212 officers per 100,000 population.

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1241W

Police Officers (Public Health Care)

Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities provide private healthcare for their officers; and if he will make a statement. [36911]

Mr. Denham:
This information is not collected centrally.

Cyclists

Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues to police forces on penalising cyclists who (a) advance over the stop line and (b) ride without rear lights. [36461]

Mr. Denham:
Police officers take appropriate action against cyclists who break road traffic laws in this way and who are a hazard to themselves and to other road users when they do so. We see no need for central guidance to police forces on this issue. Chief officers of police are best placed to decide the level of priority given to such offences in the light of local circumstances and other demands on police time and resources.

Drug Addicts

Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners who were addicts of (a) heroin and (b) cocaine continued their habits after serving their sentences in each of the last five years; and what proportion died from drug misuse in the 12 month period after leaving prison. [36562]

Beverley Hughes:
There are currently no figures available on how many inmates coming into prison addicted to heroin or cocaine resume their habit after serving their sentences. However, the Home Office is currently conducting research in this area and aims to publish a report on the findings in the summer.

Similarly, there are currently no figures available on drug-related deaths among ex-prisoners. The Home Office is currently conducting research in this area and aims to publish a report on the findings in May.

Copies of both reports will be placed in the Library.

Detainee Deaths

Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy in relation to all deaths in police custody, prisons and immigration detention centres, to provide the family of the deceased person with a copy of any investigation carried out into his or her death. [36948]

Mr. Denham:
The Government recognise the frustration and sadness that can be caused through any lack of communication and information in these cases.

Police investigating officers' reports form a class which the courts have ruled is entitled to public interest immunity.

Current Home Office guidance to the police on pre-inquest disclosure states that

"disclosure of the investigating officer's report will not normally be expected to form part of the pre-inquest disclosure. That does not mean, however, that it is impossible for such a report to be disclosed where a chief officer considers that it would be right to do so".

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1242W

There is no existing legal obligation on the police to make such a disclosure unless directed to do so by a court. However, the Police Reform Bill currently before Parliament includes a presumption in favour of the disclosure of information. The Bill expressly allows this duty to be fulfilled through the provision of a copy of the investigation report subject to a statutory test that will ensure no information that has the potential for causing harm is released.

Since 1999 the Prison Service has operated a policy of disclosure of investigation reports into deaths in prison custody to the family of the deceased. The Immigration Service would also disclose their investigation reports into deaths in immigration detention centres to the family of the deceased.

Prison Hospital Suicides

Mr. Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) assessment he has made of and (b) steps he has taken to ascertain the accuracy of record keeping about the monitoring of suicide risks in prison hospitals. [36877]

Beverley Hughes:
Those prisoners judged at risk of suicide or self-harm, whether in health care centres or other parts of prisons, are the subject of the "caring for prisoners at risk procedures" (the F2052SH system). Suicide prevention teams in each establishment examine this work and the quality of the procedures. The system is being reviewed as part of the Prison Service's three year suicide prevention strategy with the aim of improving the identification of those at risk and the subsequent care provided.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the process is to ensure that tetra base stations comply with relevant guidelines on limits of exposure to the public. [36594]

Mr. Denham:
Terrestrial Trunked Radio System (TETRA) base stations for the police service are installed by the telecommunications operator for Airwave, mm02 which must comply with planning regulations and health and safety guidelines.

The Radiocommunications Agency (RA) of the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) is currently conducting a programme of checks on airwave base stations to ensure that the guidelines on limits of exposure are being met. The RA currently expect to publish the results obtained from the first six base stations tested on their website in mid June 2002. The extent of further work will be determined once the data obtained from these tests have been fully analysed.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Mr. Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets are set for replying to correspondence from members of the public to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate; and what the level of performance is. [36769]

Angela Eagle:
One million pieces of correspondence were received by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) post room in Croydon, during the last

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1243W

12 months. The targets in the Public Service Agreement 200001 to 200304 commits all Home Office Directorates, including IND, to replying to 95 per cent. of public correspondence within 20 working days. Figures are not currently available for IND's present performance against the standards relating to public correspondence, but we aim to send a substantive reply to all letters as soon as possible.

Improving performance against published targets for dealing with correspondence is recognised as a priority for IND as part of the wider Home Office programme to modernise business processes and information management.

Prison Capacity (Wymott and Garth)

Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to (a) increase the prison population and (b) extend the site at (i) HMP Wymott and (ii) HMP Garth; and what recent discussions his Department has had with the (A) governor and (B) Prison Officers' Association on plans to extend (x) HMP Wymott and (y) HMP Garth. [36458]

Beverley Hughes:
In order to meet possible need for extra capacity, the Prison Service has an overall strategy of applying for planning consent at prison sites where building more accommodation is a viable option.

Wymott and Garth prisons are two such sites. Planning consent has been in place to build an extra houseblock at each site since 1996. Applications have recently been made to extend this consent before it expires in order to keep all options open.

While the governor and Prison Officers' Association at each prison may be aware of the existing planning consent, no discussions have taken place as there are no

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1244W

plans to build at either prison in the near future. If the situation should change there will be the usual full and frank discussion.

Young Offenders

Mr. Lammy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders (1) from each parliamentary constituency in the Greater London area were sentenced to custodial sentences in young offenders institutions in 2001; [37008]

(2) within each Metropolitan police divisional borough were sentenced to custodial sentences in young offenders institutions in 2001; [37007]

(3) within each parliamentary constituency in the Greater London area were sentenced to serve (a) less than one year, (b) one to three years and (c) three or more years in a young offenders institution in 2001; [37010]

(4) within each Metropolitan police divisional borough were sentenced to serve (a) less than one year, (b) one to three years and (c) three or more years in a young offenders institution in 2001. [37009]

Mr. Keith Bradley:
Information collected centrally does not allow a breakdown by parliamentary constituency in the Greater London area.

The available, information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, relating to England and Wales 2000 is shown in the table. These data give offenders aged 1017 sentenced to custodial sentences within the Metropolitan police area for (a) under one year, (b) one year and under three years and (c) over three years.

Information on court proceedings for 2001 will be available in the autumn.

Number of persons aged 1017 sentenced to custodial sentences in the Metropolitan police area shown by magistrates court (the committing court in Crown court cases) England and Wales 2000(50)

Custodial sentence

Young offender institution

Detention and training order

Secure training order

Sentencing court (Committing court in Crown court cases)

Under 1 year

1 year and up to 2 years

Total

Under 1 year

1 year and up to 2 years

Total

Under 1 year

1 year and up to 2 years

Total

Inner London magistrates courts(51)

Bow Street

0

1

1

1

0

1

0

0

0

Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge

1

4

5

1

6

7

0

0

0

Greenwich/Woolwich

0

0

0

1

1

2

1

0

1

Highbury Corner

0

1

1

1

0

1

0

0

0

Horseferry Road

0

1

1

1

2

3

0

0

0

Marylebone

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

South Western

0

1

1

5

0

5

0

0

0

Thames

4

2

6

5

3

8

0

0

0

West London

1

1

2

5

5

10

0

0

0

Camberwell Youth court

24

4

28

78

13

91

1

0

1

South Western Youth court

0

1

1

33

6

39

0

0

0

Thames Youth court

12

6

18

57

31

88

0

0

0

West London Youth court

27

3

30

59

8

67

0

0

0

Outer London boroughs

Barking and Dagenham

5

0

5

17

4

21

0

0

0

Havering

2

1

3

12

1

13

0

0

0

Redbridge

2

1

3

6

3

9

0

0

0

Newham

4

3

7

51

7

58

0

0

0

Waltham Forest

8

1

9

23

3

26

0

0

0

Bexley

3

0

3

11

1

12

0

0

0

Bromley

2

0

2

6

3

9

0

0

0

Croydon

8

2

10

21

15

36

0

0

0

Kingston-upon-Thames

4

0

4

10

0

10

0

0

0

Richmond-upon-Thames

4

0

4

4

1

5

0

0

0

Sutton

3

0

3

16

1

17

0

0

0

Merton

0

0

0

13

3

16

0

0

0

Ealing

5

2

7

14

4

18

1

0

1

Barnet

3

5

8

18

10

28

0

0

0

Brent

3

2

5

13

8

21

0

0

0

Enfield

6

1

7

10

8

18

0

0

0

Harringey

1

7

8

28

4

32

0

0

0

Harrow

2

0

2

8

2

10

0

0

0

Hillingdon

6

1

7

25

6

31

0

0

0

Hounslow

4

2

6

17

1

18

0

0

0

Other (not recorded)

0

0

0

3

0

3

0

0

0

Total

144

53

197

574

160

734

3

0

3

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1245W

Custodial sentence

Section 9092(52)

Total immediate custody

Sentencing court (Committing court in Crown court cases)

Under 1 year

1 year and under 3 years

3 years and over

Total

Under 1 year

1 year and under 3 years

3 years and over

Total

Inner London magistrates courts(51)

Bow Street

0

0

4

4

1

1

4

6

Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge

0

0

5

5

2

10

5

17

Greenwich/Woolwich

0

0

1

1

2

1

1

4

Highbury Corner

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

3

Horseferry Road

0

0

2

2

1

3

2

6

Marylebone

0

0

1

1

1

0

1

2

South Western

0

1

2

3

5

2

2

9

Thames

0

2

1

3

9

7

1

17

West London

0

0

6

6

6

6

6

18

Camberwell Youth court

0

4

12

16

103

21

12

136

South Western Youth court

0

1

8

9

33

8

8

49

Thames Youth court

0

5

13

18

69

42

13

124

West London Youth court

0

4

4

8

86

15

4

105

Outer London boroughs

Barking and Dagenham

0

0

1

1

22

4

1

27

Havering

0

0

1

1

14

2

1

17

Redbridge

0

0

0

0

8

4

0

12

Newham

0

0

5

5

55

10

5

70

Waltham Forest

0

0

6

6

31

4

6

41

Bexley

0

0

1

1

14

1

1

16

Bromley

0

0

1

1

8

3

1

12

Croydon

0

2

4

6

29

19

4

52

Kingston-upon-Thames

0

0

4

4

14

0

4

18

Richmond-upon-Thames

0

1

1

2

8

2

1

11

Sutton

0

0

2

2

19

1

2

22

Merton

0

2

0

2

13

5

0

18

Ealing

0

0

1

1

20

6

1

27

Barnet

1

2

0

3

22

17

0

39

Brent

0

1

2

3

16

11

2

29

Enfield

0

1

0

1

16

10

0

26

Harringey

0

0

6

6

29

11

6

46

Harrow

0

0

0

0

10

2

0

12

Hillingdon

0

1

1

2

31

8

1

40

Hounslow

0

0

2

2

21

3

2

26

Other (not recorded)

1

3

5

9

4

3

5

12

Total

2

30

103

135

723

243

103

1,069

(50) These data are on the principal offence basis

(51) Information held centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by borough in the Inner London area

(52) Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (previously section 53(1) and (2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933)

Mr. Lammy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how (1) many young offenders within each Metropolitan police divisional borough are serving custodial sentences in young offenders institutions; [37005]

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1246W

(2) how many young offenders from each parliamentary constituency in the Greater London area are serving custodial sentences in young offenders institutions. [37006]

26 Feb 2002 : Column 1247W

Beverley Hughes:
The data show young offenders who were serving custodial sentences on 31 January 2002 and were first committed in a Greater London court. Addresses of inmates prior to custody are not held centrally. Attempting to break these figures down by constituency or Metropolitan police divisional borough would not be accurate, as young offenders are not always committed at a court within the constituency where they live.